Home » Poison gas on Maidan: why activists’ lives are still under threat

Poison gas on Maidan: why activists’ lives are still under threat

The
Revolution of Dignity ended five years ago, but new heroes still join the
Heavenly Hundred. People suffer from terrible illnesses and die. Doctors are at
a loss, and individual tests show significantly exceeded rates of heavy metals
in the patients’ bodies.

What are the symptoms

Serhiy
Samulyak was one of the participants of the Revolution of Dignity. On the night
of February 19, 2014, he fainted three times because of some unknown vapor. The
boy was brought to life, and he returned to the defense. And only a few months
later he realized that he was losing health.

His
eyesight began to get worse, and he suffered from joint pain. He could not even
walk properly. Then some bumps began to appear on the legs, and they still are
there – the victim says.

After
clashes with security forces in Mariinsky Park on February 18, 2014, activists
had similar symptoms. Ihor Demchyshyn says that the after-effect has been
taking its toll up to now. In addition to metal pipes and batons, police were
throwing grenades with acid vapors at the protesters.

Therefore,
the Maidan activists decided to check the assumption that health problems had
been caused by toxic gases: about five people, who had been in the Mariinsky
Park, underwent medical tests. All their analyses showed the presence of
thallium.

The
activists united in a public organization, which includes over 100 victims.
They turned to the prosecutor’s office, where the investigation began.
Investigators claim that weapons were imported from Russia on the eve of the
February events in Kyiv.

What kind of problems the investigation is faced with?

Although
five years have passed, there have been no results of the expert analysis of
these grenades. Besides, it must be proved that poisoning was caused by the
Maidan events. However, they have not even started exploring the symptoms of
activists. As it turned out, there are neither professional toxicologists nor
proper equipment in Ukraine.

We are
looking for such experts in Ukraine. If we fail to find them, we will turn to foreign
specialists. In particular, we are considering inviting specialists from
Britain and Israel, explained Oleksandr Yabchanka, spokesman for the Ministry
of Health.

Lawyer Pavlo
Dykan believes that the investigation is also at an impasse due to unsettled
areas of legislation. Even if foreign experts are found, the court may reject
the results of their analyses. Because only persons who work in state
institutions may be forensic experts.

However, foreign
expertise may help the activists to obtain the status of victims in a criminal
proceeding and at least some compensation for treatment. The activists are
eager to know what chemical elements are present in their bodies and whether
they can be cured.

“Many people with similar symptoms have died
from heart attacks, lung and oncological diseases, illnesses,” activist
Serhiy Samulyak expressed his fears.

So while the investigators are still collecting documents on the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, new Maidan activists join the ranks of the Heavenly Hundred heroes.